Conducting Interviews in Journalism for Science and Health Stories

Conducting INTERVIEWS For Science and Health Stories Thomas Barwick/Getty Images University Of Guyana Faculty of Social Sciences Centre For Communication Studies DPC 2109- Reporting & Writing Specialized Journalism Mini E-Booklet Lecturer: Mrs. Rhonda Hamilton-Weekes Group 3 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Introduction 5 Interviewing in Journalism 6 Tips for Conducting Interviews in Science 13 Live Broadcast Interviews 14 Tips for Radio Broadcast 16 Edited Broadcast Interviews 17 Interviews for Print & Internet 18 References 2

INTRODUCTION Moving past casual conversations... Organization remains a key element in interviewing. Although sometimes regarded as conversational they are not just a casual conversation. It requires preparing on the part of interviewer/journalist as well as other foundational principles. The process of interviewing begins well before you talk with the other person, be it face to face, on the telephone or over the Internet. The intensity of your preparations may vary depending on the gravity and importance of the interview. (C. Daly, 2016) Media also plays a great influential role in public responses to scientific discoveries and health related issues. The reach of the various mass media; print, social media, television and radio has the ability to set the tone and feel of how people will react to current issues. 2020 and the COVID-19 Pandemic is the perfect example of how journalist have the ability to frame issues to either cause persons to take action determine how concerned persons are and also what they think about these occurrences. . Public health professionals have always been sensitive to the persuasive power of the mass media.(Chapman, 2016) Understanding that news is sought and shaped by journalists within media is vital but identifying the right strategies and techniques for increasing coverage of significant health and science stories/issues is needed. These need to be pursued carefully and also by using the right medium therefore being prepared when conducting interviews are vital. Many health and medical scholars and professionals would agree with doctors and news commentators who recently stated that the media fails health services, and that the structural limitations on news production made \"evidence based journalism\" a \"forlorn hope\".(J. Snow, 2008) 3

While some new studies view on-the-ground newsroom journalists, producers or editors as the people who select, shape and present news few address implications for public health directly, nor explore ways in which it can extend its reach and impact through the mass media.(Robotham, 2006) health communication will always be limited within the mass media, health professionals and journalists have different values and goals - not to mention different concepts of validity, objectivity and significance - is as well-known as the frustrations that arise from these differences. (Nelkin 1996) A journalist need to publish a story versus a health professionals need to show impartiality and express confidentiality may cause differences in approach. Likewise in scientific coverage timing and urgency of stories does not leave room for evidence proofing, testing etc. Journalists tend to use anecdotal or rhetorical rather than statistical evidence; rely on expert testimony rather than on publications; emphasize controversy rather than consensus; and represent issues in terms of polarities rather than complexities. (Nelkin, 1996) This assignment will look at techniques for preparing and conducting interviews in journalism for science and health stories. It will seek to share some useful tips in tackling health and science related stories as well as identify and correct some of the common mistakes in covering interviews of this nature. More than releasing a Story... Kaianders Sempler/Illustration wfsj.org 4

INTERVIEWING IN JOURNALISM Good interviews are governed by good and easy principles and are useful in discovering the story behind a person’s experience, they are also helpful follow-ups to conversations and also in investigating responses with open ended conversations. In conducting science and health stories interviews some of the same basic principles listed below still apply and will govern our discussion throughout this booklet. Be Prepared Establish Relationship Carefully prepare, familiarizing When relationships are established yourself with much background in with source/interviewee it gives a the topic/issue as possible. conducive environment for information sharing. Ask Questions Listen Ask questions relevant to the topic, Listen with intention, pay interest this encourages the interviewee to to what interviewee or source is share. sharing and watch attentively. 5

Tips for Conducting Interviews in Journalism for Science and Health Stories Kaianders Sempler illustration wfsj.org 6

1. Prepare Carefully Kaianders Sempler illustration wfsj.org Science and health stories can be an unfamiliar field for some journalist or persons conducting an interview, going into the interview not knowing everything about the topic is okay but don’t try to wing it, you must do due diligence, this aids in strengthening the foundation and understanding your story when publishing as well as interviewing. The importance of accurate preparation on behalf of the interviewer should not be underestimated and includes conceptual and practical preparations. (Brinkmann and Kvale 2005; Brinkmann 2014) 7

Do Your Research  Know about the topic in order to ask key questions.  Begin with past articles, files or studies on the topic/issue. Reviewing peer review articles especially for scientific stories may be helpful.  Research your sources; get information on the background in the field or topic area, potential biases etc.  For science stories; search or ask the scientist in advance for links/PDFs of scientific papers they have written, or news clips about their research or their area of research. Consider Your Interview Type Different types of interviews require different questions. In doing your research you should know what type of interview you need:  A personality or profile interview: Ask personal, intimate questions of the whole person, you might need to speak to his or her colleagues, friends and family.  A research interview. Focus on the results, their accuracy, the process, and their implications.  A content or news interview: A little interviewing with a wide range of people, including scientists, policy makers/government, educators and others, provides a broad perspective and multiple points of view. (Scott, 2020) Example: In this 2018 Interview on How Plastic Surgery is Influenced by Social Media the host made Dr. Nassif feel comfortable and easier by starting a regular conversation before getting to main topic but was still able to focus on the process and implications of the topic due to adequate research. (91) How Plastic Surgery is Influenced by Social Media- Dr. Paul Nassif - YouTube 8

2. Get Organized Kaianders Sempler illustration wfsj.org  Define your purpose - Be specific. Both parties should have a clear understanding of the purpose of the interview and who the audience is.  Address terms of confidentiality- consent forms or other details should be given in advance.  Set a date and time.  Ask for images- Ask for potential images for your story: images of the scientist, images of his/her research, etc. Make sure the scientist has copyright permission to use the image. A good-quality picture or drawing can greatly aid your own understanding, and may eventually be used to illustrate your final story.  Choose a suitable location – If not done at a recording studio, choose a setting with little distraction, somewhere comfortable for interviewee, in some cases to add to optics interviewing at a hospital for health stories or in a laboratory for scientist or in general places they are familiar with.  Explain the format of the interview and state how long it will take.  Get recording device or studio set up ready.  Be prepared: Always have a recording device, pen/pencil, notebook and a list of great questions  Arrive on time: be at the interview early, with time to spare; Example: The Ministry of Health announces that there will be a Press Conference to discuss the recent rise in deaths due to COVID-19. Before attending this Press Conference, as a Science Journalist you are expected to prepare questions for the Minister of health, walk with a notebook and pen for taking notes and writing additional questions, as well as a recorder. 9

Establish Relationship Kaianders Sempler/illustration wfsj.org Building relationship and establishing comfortable interactions in an interview is very important and is preferably done well in advance of the interview, but also during the interview itself. The early stage of the interview is a feeling-out period. The interviewee balances his or her gains and losses from divulging information the reporter seeks, and the reporter tries to show the source the rewards the source will receive through disclosure of the information—publicity, respect, the feeling that goes with doing a good turn. (Mencher 2011) A challenge when conducting interviews is that there may be little time in the interview situation to build trust (DiCicco-Bloom and Crabtree, 2006). Establishing a good relationship and also exercising creative skills during interviews may be necessary. 10

Edureka/stock images  Draft a short summary of your research project, written in layman’s terms, to send to your interviewees prior to the interview as a way of informing them of what to expect will be talked about in the interview and why it is an important topic to discuss.  Exercise proximity during interview, sit directly in front of interviewee or side by side.  Attempt to remain neutral; don’t show strong emotional reactions or bad facial cues or expressions.  Come with an open and curious attitude, stating specifically why you are interested in their specific point of view (Krag Jacobsen 1993) Example: A question like “How did you start in the science field…?” is likely to be understood as less threatening than “What rules and regulations do you follow when conducting…” 11

 Familiarize yourself with the context in which a scholar, researcher or doctor's work occurs. Such understanding not only suggests to the expert being interviewed that you're to be taken seriously, it elevates the interview, getting the conversation to a deeper, more meaningful level more quickly.  Learn something about the expert and his or her potential agenda - plus the opinion of others in the field. This can ensure that you have the interview you truly need, not an interview with someone who will make your story seem ill- informed to those who know better.  If you're profiling individual doctors or scientists or their work, you need to know just how significant they and their efforts are, where it fits in. You can't simply accept their word that the work is important - nor their publicist's word. You also must explain to readers the way in which it's important. Edureka/stock images 12

Live Broadcast Interviews Tips Vector stock image The best performance in most cases are given when live. One should always check before the interview whether it will be broadcast live. While Pre- recorded interviews do allow for requests to stop and start again if you become tongue tied, need clarification or want to rethink your response these options are not available when live. Before going live consider having a Pre-Interview. A pre-interview is normally a quick off-the-record interview in which you take notes but you don't report on the interviewee's views. It helps you to understand the context of a development on which you are planning to report. Print journalists never do pre-interviews. But for television and radio reporters, a pre-interview is often used to determine if a scientist might be a suitable candidate for broadcasting.(Scott, 2016) 13

Preparing for Radio Manycam/stock image  Test Recording Devices: Make sure you’ve got good internet connection; your mic or headset is working; and that there are no issues with sound. This avoids any embarrassment later on, especially if your face is frozen in an awkward expression.  Establish the following: Phones off, no background noise. If it’s a call in interview, ask for interviewee to be in a quite location suitable for talking.  Your first question has to grab the attention of the audience.  Speak with Interviewee before start of interview. Since Radio interviews are usually short prepare scientist and health professionals on the limited time when discussing and they may not have the time to provide context during radio interviews.  For science and health guests, inform of the need for them to explain the meaning of medical phrases etc. Don’t use jargons.  Keep questions and Reponses short due to time constrains.  Interviewers may need to talk less and allow for silence to act as the catalyst that will drive the conversation forward. Actively listening to the interviewees means respecting silence and identifying such silent moments as an opportunity for ongoing reflection (Seidman 2013) 14

Preparing for television: Kaianders Sempler/illustration wfsj.org  Communicate with interviewee; ensure they know about the visual challenges of television and are dressed appropriately for the interview (Colours to avoid on camera) Knowing which camera to look at etc.  Structure your questions/ have them in sequence, start with an “Audience Capturing Question first.  Make eye contact with interviewee  Be prepared to drop the question order to make follow-up questions, depending on the answers.  Communicate throughout, never assume that viewers are watching from the beginning.  Always ask open ended questions.  Be prepared to handle the unexpected: In medical and scientific research fields, sometimes interviews engage in topics such as illness/ death or the interviewees own experiences; stress, failure etc. that may evoke uneasy emotions, as an interviewer you must be able to deal with those when it arises.  Interviewers must be sensitive to the interviewee’s reactions when sharing experiences on certain topics. Sometimes interviewees will be capable of handling these emotions themselves, but at other times you, as an interviewer, will need to take action to protect your interviewee (Varpio and McCarthy 2018). 15

Edited Broadcast Interviews Tips: Broadcast interviews provide a unique opportunity for messages to be sent out to a wide audience fast and all at the same time. Broadcast, like many other things, comes with its equal share of challenges and with correct preparation and approach, every chief can be effective communicators. Vector stock image  Choose location relevant or meaningful to the topic. Inform interviewee of time and other details for shooting interview.  Talk the interviewee through what you plan to do.  Have the questions prepared  Use simple language: Avoid technical terms and scientific concepts lifted from the scientist's research reports unless they are absolutely critical to the interview.  Visuals are important as stated in our doing the research tips, images or videos of discovery areas, prototype for science interviews, backstory pictures etc.  Use ambient sound; example in science stories the sound of science in action brings the listener inside science.(Scott, 2020)  Keep interviews short and keep control of interview; learning how to respectively interrupt scientist or medical professional so they do not go off track during questions. Example: during the prerecorded interview, the interviewee might say, \"This is the cow we used for testing tick bite vaccines...\" this can be followed by the sound of mooing in the edited broadcast. 16

Interviews for Print Tips: •Dominik Pabis/Getty Images  Your Interviewee needs to know the investment of this print interview.  Is the interview a one quote, short paragraph, an in-depth interview, profile or simply a news release print. This will determine how long the print read would be and what questions to ask.  Read over your Research and Brainstorm a list of 15 questions- The more specific your questions are, the better.  Never ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Make your interviewee talk.  Profile or introduce the interviewee at the beginning of text.  Use quotes but also state who you are quoting directly.  Indirect quotes can also be used by paraphrasing: Example: She stated that the Nurse at GPHC had considerable problems with the issue of not enough PPE’s, but did not offer an explanation for this.  Take a photo for visual effects. A picture of the location, health/science officer may be helpful for print article. 17

REFERENCES: 1. Brinkmann S. 2014. Interview. In Teo T, editor. Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. New York (NY): Springer. 2. Brinkmann S, Kvale S. 2005. Confronting the ethics of qualitative research. J Constr Psychol. 18:157–181. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] 3. Scott, C. (n.d.). Online Course. Retrieved November 23, 2020, from http://www.wfsj.org/course/lesson.htm?e=e03 4. Mencher M, 2011. News Reporting and Writing. 12th Edition. McGraw Hill Publishing. New York 5. Krag Jacobsen J. 1993. Intervju -konsten att lyssna och fråga [Interview-The Art of Listening and Asking]. Lund: Studentlitteratur. 6. Seidman I. 2013. Interviewing as qualitative research: a guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York (NY): Teachers College Press. 7. Varpio L, McCarthy A. 2018. How a needs assessment study taught us a lesson about the ethics of educational research. Perspect Med Educ. 7:34. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] 18

Group Members  Corrine Aaron – 1006605  Colleen Clarke - 1035435  Sunelle Codrington – 1033310  Faith Greene -1034411  Dave Jeffrey - 1034454  Lenesha Roland - 1030089  Ronald Taylor - 1032787 19